Blood Lines [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Ruth Rendell (Author), multivoice (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996

So begins this scintillating collection of long and short stories by Ruth Rendell. It was clear to both Wexford and Burden that Tom Peterlee was not killed for £360, but various people would have liked them to think he was. . . It is a case which reminds the Chief Inspector that there is only a thin line dividing the cop from the criminal.

In the second story, poetry is the inspiration for murderous passion. In "Shreds and Slivers," the accidental discovery of Amanita phalloides (a poisonous mushroom) leads to a game of Russian Roulette in a supermarket. In all the stories, Ruth Rendell probes behind the patterns of everyday life to pinpoint the frailties, the desires and deceptions, the guilty secrets of human beings.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This collection of contemporary, subtle, and sometimes horrific stories by that most cerebral of English mystery writers, Rendell (e.g., Put On by Cunning, LJ 6/1/96), is a listener's delight. A cast of readers including Michael Page and Sharon Williams represent a chorus of perfect voices performing the various tales, which range from country working-class acts of passion to restrained, clinical murder among calculating members of Britain's upper crust. One story, "Unacceptable Levels," is so subtle that listeners may find themselves rewinding their cassettes in order to catch the unspoken murder plot. Another, "The Strawberry Tree," is beautiful in its pacing, as slow and embracing as a Majorcan breeze from the island upon which the story is set. The Rendell style has never been more affecting than here. Recommended.?Mark P. Tierney, The World Bank, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Hailed by Patricia Cornwell as "unequivocally the most brilliant mystery writer of our time, " Ruth Rendell now delivers an all-new collection of long- and short-story mysteries. As always with Rendell, these stories of mystery and wrongdoing shine their light into the dark places of the human psyche. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Unabridged Library Edition; Unabridged edition (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561003050
• ISBN-13: 978-1561003051
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,146,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Weak Beginning, but progressively improves, May 10, 2010

By 

Meredith L. Burton "Bookworm" (Lynchburg, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Lines (Audio Cassette)

Ruth Rendell is the quintessential mistress of weaving ingenuous stories from mundane situations. All of her short stories provide brief glimpses into the minds of unusual characters with interesting ideosyncracies.

"Blood Lines" is yet another collection of interesting stories. This audio book is abridged, which is disappointing, but the narrators do exceptional jobs with the different stories. The only story I disliked was the title piece, an Inspector Wexford mystery that was fairly weak. All the other stories exceed expectations. Some of my favorites include:

1. "Expectations". An interesting first-person narrative that reimagines a literary classic by Dickens from an unusual perspective.
2. "Slits and Slivers". This macabre tale will force readers to ponder the real reason why certain foods in shops are recalled! Terrifying and thought-provoking.
3. "Lizzie's Lover". A discussion of a Robert Browning poem by an English teacher and his lover results in an unexpected twist.
4. "Clothes". A poignant tale about a woman's compulsion that seeks to destroy her.

These are just a few delights that await you in this collection. I'd also recommend "The Copper Peacock and Other Stories," and "Means of Evil," both books by the same author. Happy reading, and God bless you.